Clock's day
by Preemtive Karma
Summary: Every 1461 days the ghosts have a chance to pay homage to the master of time. Danny learns of this tradition, and decides to pay a visit himself.


"You know," Tucker began conversationally as the three walked through the park, "It's been really quiet around here lately. Ghost wise, I mean."

Sam poked him in the ribs, "You just jinxed it!"

School had finished for the week and the trio were headed to Danny's house. It was a nice enough day, sunny with a few clouds to stop it getting too warm. Danny thought he might go flying that night; the weather was too perfect to pass up.

"He is right though," said Danny. "Even the Box ghost is scarce." This was weird on its own, because the Box ghost is always around to be a pest.

"Shh! Murphy's Law is so gonna bite you in the butt. You two are just begging for a Skulker or someone to appear and wreak havoc." Scolded Sam.

"It says that?" Danny asked Sam.

"Not in as many words, but yeah. Now a ghost has no choice but to attack."

"Hey Sam?" grinned Tuck.

"Yeah?"

"You just jinxed it!"

Sam had barely pulled her arm back to whack the boy in the arm when Danny's ghost sense went off.

"Ha-ouch! You punch hard!" Tuck was still smug, because it was Skulker. "You ji-"

Sam glared at him, "not a word Tuck, or they won't find the remains. Besides, you jinxed it first!"

Danny ignored their bickering as he went ghost.

"I was beginning to think none of the ghosts loved me anymore. Nearly broke my heart." he joked as he flew up to fight with Skulker. He dodged twin rockets launched from the ghosts shoulders and fired his own ghost ray from both hands.

Skulker anticipated the shots and swerved far to his left to avoid them.

"Ha! You are nowhere near my level you whe-" Skulker was rudely cut off with a kick to the side of his head.

"I think I'm doing just fine actually."

The two ghosts traded blasts, punches and banter while generally trashing the area around them in their fight. In the background, Tuck and Sam were still arguing the mechanics of a jinx.

Skulker threw Danny into an oak tree. The tree, although it was huge and the trunk strong and wide, was reduced to woodchips as Skulker tried to punch Danny further into it. But Danny had phased through the tree already and avoided any real damage from Skulker.

"Hey!" Sam shouted, "that tree was centuries old, have some respect!" She was showered in acorns and twigs for her trouble.

"Your concern for me is touching, Sam." Danny said dryly, shaking leaves from his messy hair. But Sam had a point. Danny thought they had dealt enough damage to the park and decided to end the fight quickly.

Danny turned invisible to sneak up on Skulker. He knew he'd see through the trick in seconds, but it gave Danny enough time to get behind Skulker and blast him into the ground. While Skulker was stunned from the impact, Danny froze him into a block of solid ice, leaving only his head sticking out.

"So what's up anyway? Not that I'm complaining, but there haven't been any ghosts around for a few days now." Asked Danny casually, knowing the fight was over and he could stand down a bit and get some info before sending Skulker back to the Ghost Zone.

"Fool, everyone is preparing a gift for Clocks day. As am I." Skulker snapped with more authority than a dude in an ice cube should have.

"What do you mean 'Clocks day'?" asked Danny. He tapped the ice encasing Skulker because he knew it annoyed him.

"Cut that out. You can't be serious, right?" answered Skulker, his tone showing nothing but scorn for the prey that had turned the tables on him. Not that he would admit that he was bested by a mere child, however.

Danny rolled his eyes. "I'm not actually a ghost, and I don't plan on being one. How am I supposed to know ghostly traditions? Remember the Christmas thing?" He still couldn't stand to read poetry after that fiasco.

"Oh, that was _funny_. Did you know Walker actually let GhostWriter out early, he was so amused? Besides, Plasmius is half ghost and he knows. What's your excuse, whelp?"

"I'd bet that he beat the information out of another ghost. I ask nicely." He flicked the ice, making it ring out with a clear _ping._ "C'mon, tell me."

"I said cut that out!" growled Skulker. "Fine, I suppose even a halfa has the right to know of ghostly traditions. Every 1461 days the ghosts have a chance to pay homage to the master of time. Some to try to buy a bit of favour or just see him for themselves. The master of times tower is usually nowhere to be found, other than this day. The day is tomorrow."

"Clockwork? What do you mean, pay homage?" asked Danny quizzically.

"And why 1461 days?" added Sam bemusedly. The jinx dispute was over for at least the moment.

"Is it his birthday or something?" Tuck asked Skulker.

"Nah, I don't think so, I'm pretty sure Clockwork has always been around. He probably wasn't ever a human," Danny said.

"You know of Clockwork, yet you don't know of his day? Strange child. Pay homage, you know, get him a gift of some sort. I am going to give him your pelt as my offering." Skulker replied proudly.

"First of all, which of us is stuck in a chunk of ice? And anyway, I met Clockwork a couple of times, he's a pretty cool guy, and I really doubt he'd like my pelt." He grinned mischievously, "Have you considered giving him a calendar instead?"

"You've met Clockwork? I don't believe you for a second." scoffed Skulker.

"No, it's true. He's helped me twice now." Danny told him.

He felt a great debt of gratitude to Clockwork for what he'd done for him. A couple hours after he had left Clockworks lair with the knowledge he needed to fix the ecto-acne, he had guessed that Clockwork had let him mess up on purpose so he could figure it out himself. And there was that first time Clockwork had saved him too. Danny wouldn't forget it in a hurry, that's for darn sure.

"Then you would do well to get him a gift too," Skulker said in what Danny would have sworn was a civil tone. "It's only polite. You'll have no trouble from other ghosts for this occasion, so long as you don't cause trouble."

"You know, I think I will. Thanks for the info tin man!" Danny waved goodbye.

"Hey! Can't you just jet me-"

And with a flash of blue light, courtesy of Sam, Skulker disappeared into the Fenton thermos to be sent back to the ghost zone later.

"So what are you going to get him then?" Tucker asked Danny.

The three walked down a back alley to Fentonworks. The alley doubled as both a shortcut and shelter from prying eyes for Danny to transform back.

"Haven't the foggiest." admitted Danny. He wasn't really the greatest at picking presents anyway. His dad would have nearly enough socks from Fathers days now to keep an entire armies feet warm. "What do you get for the master of time anyway?"

"I gotta say, aftershave and a gift card don't really seem appropriate." agreed Tuck.

"How about a pot plant?" Sam offered. "His lair was pretty bare if my memory serves."

"A plant? I doubt sprucing up his lair is high on the dude's priority list, Sam." Said Tucker, shaking his head. "Besides, he's the master of time. Who knows what temporal gymnastics go in there? The thing would wither in minutes."

Danny thought for a moment, "But I think I know what wouldn't...Can you guys dump Skulker for me? I'll meet you at my room."

Danny ran back in the direction they had come from.

"Any idea...?" Sam asked Tuck.

He shrugged eloquently, "beats me."

They were pretty much at Danny's door by that point. They let themselves in, they virtually lived there. Jazz often joked that she'd make them start paying rent soon.

"Hey guys, where's Danny?" Jazz greeted them cheerfully.

"Hi Jazz. He went off to get a present for a ghost friend of his." Tucker told her.

"Oh, as long as he doesn't get socks he should be fine," giggled Jazz, the others joining in because they too knew about Jacks impressive sock collection.

"Are your parents here? We need to use the portal." asked Sam. She rattled the thermos as proof, "Skulker today."

"Moms out grocery shopping with dad. They'll be gone for a while." she answered.

"Great! Can you open the genetic lock for us?"

The three chatted amiably as they sent Skulker on his way, grumbling about his armour being scuffed and needing a polish.

"I'll tell him you're waiting in his room, I've got homework to do," said Jazz after they had finished. "Later!"

And so they parted ways at the top of the stairs and went to claim Danny's room until he got back.

They didn't have to wait long, barely five minutes later Danny walked through his door beaming and holding out something in his palm.

"That's his present?" asked Tucker incredulously. He shook his head in amusement, "nice, dude. But I think you've been hanging around Sam too much." He ducked a pillow thrown across the room from Sam.

She grinned happily. "Going to wrap it up?"

"Nah, he probably knew what I was going to get before I knew. It's the thought that counts." Danny looked pleased with himself at picking this gift. He really hoped it wasn't a stupid one.

Sam took one last look at the present before Danny tucked it away for safe keeping and giggled, "I like it!"

* * *

"Wow, so all the ghosts _have_ been cooped up in here," Danny mused out loud. He was privately thankful that it was a weekend and that he had come so early in the morning, because he was probably going to be waiting for a long time.

There was an enormous gathering of ghosts outside Clockworks lair. Danny was sure that the tower wasn't so close to his portal last time he'd checked. Maybe the place moved through time and space at Clockworks will, he supposed.

He looked at the crowd in front of him. Some of them just went up to Clockworks door and left behind whatever they had brought, while others who were braver went into the tower itself.

The ones that went in came out empty handed, but pretty happy with themselves. They probably thought themselves brave for going in and seeing the powerful ghost with their own eyes. Danny decided without any hesitation that he would go in the tower to see Clockwork. It was about time he had thanked him for all he had done.

Danny noticed that the line of ghosts wanting to enter the tower was considerably shorter than the one to leave a gift on the growing pile at the door. It was still a long wait though.

He got a lot of funny looks from the regulars, the ghosts who attack Amity so often that even the bluntest of civilians knew them. Ember for instance.

"Hey dipstick, what did you bring?" Ember was in the shorter line, no surprise there. She was holding a curious instrument with eight strings and many toggles, it looked ancient. Danny had no idea what it was, but assumed it was for Clockwork.

He held out his hand with the small thing in it and showed her. She just shrugged. Unusual presents were not so unusual on this day.

"And what's that?" he asked her, pointing at the odd instrument. Ember's face lit up in what might have been proud joy.

"It's an instrument of mine," she told him what is was, and played a short piece on it when he asked. Danny figured, if he wasn't going to get any trouble from other ghosts today, why not learn a bit about them? It actually sounded pretty nice for such an odd instrument in any case.

Some of the other ghosts had brought valuable stuff, some had odd trinkets and some were holding things Danny couldn't even hope to identify. Three guesses what the Box Ghost brought.

* * *

Nearly two hours later, Danny finally made it to Clockwork. Ember had just walked out of the place smiling; for once she didn't look so sinister while she did. She even waved to him.

"Later twerp!" she chimed as she floated past Danny.

Danny went in and found Clockwork holding the instrument. He passed it through a time portal, then shifted so he looked close to Danny's age.

"Hello Danny, it's nice to see you again," said Clockwork. With a tap of his staff, the portal closed.

"Hey Clockwork, good to see you too. What was that about?" Danny pointed to where the portal had been open moments ago.

"I sent that instrument back to the year 233B.C. to be discovered and 'invented' by the tribe of natives on one of Atlantis's western islands." Clockwork grinned his favourite 'I know everything' grin and added, "The people on the neighbouring islands will become quite enamoured with the beautiful sounds, and the islands will break out in a jealousy driven war that would eventually destroy them all."

Danny responded in the most intelligent way he could after hearing such a thing by blinking vacantly at the other ghost, who had shifted once again into the form of an old man as he spoke.

"The instrument will be found one thousand, eight hundred and sixteen years later, in the year 1583 by one Benjamin Lainson, and eventually be passed down the centuries by his decendants until finally coming into young Amber McLaines possession.

"But you didn't come to hear that, am I right?" Clockwork asked Danny, still smiling.

Danny shook his head and returned the smile, "I came to thank you for helping me, you saved everyone, and I totally owe you. So I got you this."

Danny gave Clockwork the acorn and hoped again that it wasn't a dumb idea.

"It's a pot plant that won't die in a couple minutes here," he said brightly.

"Because of all my 'temporal gymnastics'?" Clockwork asked with a chuckle.

Danny laughed sheepishly. Figures he'd know about that.

But it seemed alright, Clockwork appeared to like the gift. Clockwork held the acorn in his hand, and it glowed with his power. He tossed it into the centre of a ridiculously huge gear lying flat on his floor, and the acorn took root and grew into a sapling in seconds.

Danny had thought something like that would happen, but he was still surprised when it grew into a tall, mature tree then back into a seed, cycling through the seasons at random. It was a strange sight, for sure.

"Sam's idea was to get you a pot plant," Danny said, "It was a pretty good idea, I think."

"I agree," replied Clockwork. He and the oak aged back and forwards, moving through decades in an instant.

"I'll let the others come in now, bye Clockwork. And thanks." Danny waved goodbye.

"And thank you for the pot plant, Danny," said Clockwork. "Have a safe trip home."

When Danny got home later that day, he was completely astounded to find that no time had passed at all since he'd left.

* * *

**A/N **I'd love to hear what enyone thought of this, good and bad reviews are all fine. If you spot any mistakes, spelling or grammer, just point them out to me, okay?

And if anyone was wondering, why 1416 days, thats the number of days between two February 29th's. Just in case you were curious.


End file.
